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You strike a dozen stout branches and sustain several cuts and bruises before you land, dazed and breathless, amidst a clump of thick foliage (lose 3 ENDURANCE points). Fortunately, the lush vegetation and the soft muddy ground cushion your impact and you are able to stagger to your feet with no bones broken. You lift your weary head and see a glimmer of lantern light through the dense undergrowth and swaying trees. You shout out, hoping to draw Anseng’s attention, but the sound of the teeming rain, the howling winds and the constant thunder makes it impossible for you to be heard.

You force a way through the heavy foliage and emerge from the trees at the edge of the clearing, close by the muddy road. A flash of lightning illuminates the area for a few fleeting moments, yet in that brief instant you are seen by Anseng. You are also spotted by Lord Rimoah who is clinging with all his strength to the prow rail of the Comet, high above. He tosses a small object over the skyship’s gunwale which ignites into an intense ball of green flame as it falls. It drops into the tangled grass of the clearing where it continues to burn fiercely. It is a signal flare, acknowledging that you have been seen. It also tells you that your mission must proceed as planned. As you hurry towards the sputtering flare, you see the keel of the skyship turn about and ascend rapidly into the roiling black clouds.

Anseng and his lantern emerge from the trees. Your worried guide pauses for a few moments to get his bearings, then he comes running towards you as fast as his saturated clothing will allow. You rush to meet him at the edge of the road. The noise of the storm has grown much louder since the Comet departed, and now the ground shudders alarmingly with every step you take. The sodden soil has become dangerously unstable. Lightning bolts strike the ground, causing fissures that tear open the soft friable earth. You watch with growing dread as parts of the clearing break away and tumble into these treacherous crevasses. A wide fissure opens beneath your feet and you lose your balance. Instantly, a strong hand grabs your forearm and pulls you away from the yawning rift.

‘Steady, my Lord,’ says Anseng, his rain-lashed face lit by the eerie yellow light of his storm lantern. ‘I’ll not see you buried before your mission has begun. Follow close on my heel, sire. Tread only where I tread.’ You nod in agreement and stay close behind your guide as skillfully he makes his way across the treacherous ground towards the tree line on the eastern side of the clearing. Here the earth is more stable; the tangled roots of the tall trees are preventing it from breaking apart and collapsing. Sheltered from the pouring rain by the thick canopy of toa fronds, you pause to rest and recover from your dramatic return to Chai.

Upon checking your equipment, you are dismayed to find that the leather satchel containing your tracker gem is missing. The strap is still slung around your shoulder, but the satchel bag has been torn away during your fall through the trees. Your backpack has also been damaged in the fall, and three items are now missing. (Erase the Tracker Gem from your Action Chart. You must also erase 3 Backpack Items—the first, third, and fifth items on your list.)

Turn to 326.